Battle Report from GCM Battle 1400

[Gen. McClernand]

What started out as a battle for rocky slopes and a maze of stone walls ended as a suicidal charge of Alabamians, charging up Massachusett's 21st, well, in my case.

My division was ordered wit my oversee, to take the lot of stone walls just beyond the Weikert farm, Powers' brigade taking the stone walls outlining the shape of woods, Armstrong's brigade behind. Beside him

was Tiller's battery.
South of me was White's division, consisting of Atchison's Louisianans, and Parish's Alabamians.
And finally south of that was McFee's division, moving at the double quick at Little Round Top, made up of Castle's Alabamians, and Sullivan's Texans.
The formation was created to stop any advance from the Union to the first objective behind us.
The corps was mostly from Alabama.

It was my division that held the stone walls, and White's to my left to push Robinson out from our general concern. As I personally saw my division move, i could hear the storng rumble of canister from Little

Round Top. Seeley's division was attacking McFee's division.

As hard fighting erupted throughout my densely fortified and seemingly unbreakable (only broke once, and very shortly) line, White's men advanced in the fight, driving many of Robinson's men out.
My flank withstood a heavy punishment, but held as repeated attacks by Robinson across the creek from the woods came. Holding the line was a bloody, desperate fight for Alabaman regiment, the 24th. It

took Georgians from Armstrong's brigade to plug the hole where the 24th had been. Soon, fighting there died out, but during that period of the first phase, McFee's brigade destroyed Seeley's with canister on

Little Round Top. Masses of blue lay dead or wounded on the ground. From afar, the little stony hill would look like a fresh heap of bodies.

The second phase started when another objective peered up on Big Round Top, unfortunately for us, that objective was to the backs of the Union, and they held it. White's men, wo had done their job with my

division, re-positioned at the east side of Little Round Top and began to attack, and attack, the wooded hill with no success. My division had it worse.
Robinson's men came back after reforming, and shot my men as they were positioning to stone walls at the Taneytown road. From there, we retreated all the way back behind the bloody Little Round Top, and

reformed.

The better of the Union started at the third and last phase, which I thought was going to let the game turn for us in this so far stalemate. I couldn't be more wrong.
The plan was that White's division would advance the bulk of the infantry of Big Round Top, as my division would advance on one seemingly weak regiment, the 21st Massachusetts, which would be the gateway

to the last open victory point. The attack was planned to be simultaneous, but when White advanced, I delayed mine, which would maybe, or maybe not, the biggest mistake.
What I was thinking was that I would wait until the Union reigments focus completely on White's division, and then leave a gap for me to cross through, and then advance, but, my division was spotted and was

expected, thus they left no open area, and kept regiments to block me. The confusing situation led to the advance of my soldiers, nearly 2 desperate bloody and important minutes after White's troops

advanced. But over the deafening gunpowder explosions, the orders through the air, Young Colonel John Couk shouted, 'Howl! Alabama Howl!'. My opinion based, that was one of the most goriest moments in

Alabama's history, as afterwards, Couk was mowed down by the fire of the Massachusetts men.
The entire division charged into the 21st Massachusetts, with no success at all, most of them broke, the loyal Alabamians kept charging into the face of the New Englanders. White's men, I prayed they would

push through. It was Hay's division we had to overcome, Robinson was coming in to outflank me. The High point in the battle was right there, and a retreat was necessary. It was evident that the battle was lost,

but Alabama's glory was forever. As was the battle, Joseph Armstrong was lost. Skeen and Young died as well. Young was the commander of the only Georgian regiment in my division, and the only regiment in

Armstrong's brigade. It seemed as if there was no more Armstrong's brigade, all the officers were lost.

My division retreated to the town, looked at the black outlined round tops in the dark blue sky from the candlelight of Gettysburg. Saw the Yankees cleaning up by torchlight. Perhaps another day we would

break a revenge to them. But what the most peculiar thing was, the flag of a captured Alabama regiment seemed to fly on top of Little Round Top. Was it to mock us? Or to give tribute to the bravehearted

Alabamians throughout the entire corps? Or would it be a ghost of war's past? That, may be the greatest mysterious of the battle.

Thomas R. R. Cobb, Alabama/Georgia division, Army of Northern Virginia

[KG_Soldier]

Well done:

http://www.sow.philipmcg.com/c/platte/p ... attle=1400

[X Navy Seal]

It seems as though we might have a "writer" in our midst. Very good report, there.

[Tobe123]

Defiantly a tribute sir, to the sacrifices of your brave boys.

Hays